Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
“Are there any more grapes?”
Fox stretched and twisted, enjoying the way his bare chest shifted against Winter’s.
They were naked on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, lazily eating grapes from a bowl.
The last few days since the massacre at Luke’s house had undoubtedly been some of the best of his life.
They’d spent most of that time cooped up in the loft, brainstorming ideas for how to deal with Damon.
There were a few video calls with Bel and his other brothers, but mostly it was just the two of them.
And Fox loved it.
They talked endlessly. Fox might have traded a few private concerts for blowjob lessons, in which he figured he was the real winner regardless of who was blowing whom. They fell into an easy rhythm around the loft, sharing the cleaning and other random tasks.
Maybe he even teared up when Winter assigned him his own code to the loft security system, giving him the power to leave whenever he wanted.
Not that he wanted to. He wasn’t even tempted to step outside during the day. He would do nothing to endanger Winter’s life.
While they’d yet to come up with a solution to their Damon problem, Fox made his other goal in life Winter’s happiness. Not the hardest of tasks and certainly a very enjoyable one.
His stretching fingers finally located the bowl on the floor, but there were no more grapes. “We’re out.”
Winter stretched and made a humming sound in the back of his throat. “Then I guess I’ll have to nibble on you.”
“Don’t tease,” Fox chastised and then brushed a kiss across Winter’s lips. “Or I’m going to stick more cheese doodles on your fangs.” Winter glared at Fox, which only made him laugh.
After some lovely early-evening sex, they’d wandered downstairs in search of food. Winter had blood, while Fox munched on puffy cheese doodles. He even managed to coerce Winter into trying one, but the vampire complained about the stuff sticking to his teeth and the roof of his mouth.
There might have been a little teasing as Fox washed some grapes and placed them in a bowl.
So far when it came to food, Winter was preferring simple things like fruit.
The vampire didn’t care for anything processed, not that Fox could blame him.
But sometimes, a boy just needed some fucking junk food.
“Do you think if we got your brother to take some of my blood, he’d be able to tell if it was safe for you?”
Winter’s expression clouded. “I don’t like the idea of you becoming Bel’s latest guinea pig. He’s already got two wolves to play with.”
Fox pushed Winter onto his back and climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. “And maybe I don’t like the idea of you feeding off some stranger.”
They didn’t argue often, but this was one sticking point Fox had trouble getting past. Winter had needed to feed, and he wouldn’t allow Fox to accompany him.
It wasn’t that Fox was afraid he was going to fuck someone else.
Winter had sworn there would be no one else so long as they were together, and Fox believed him.
He was more worried about someone attacking Winter while he was occupied with his dinner. The vampire needed someone watching over him.
In the end, Fox was left behind in the loft, his eyes locked on the door as he waited. Winter had been gone for barely an hour, but it had to have been the longest hour of Fox’s life.
“And you know this isn’t about trust, but your safety,” Fox snapped before Winter could argue.
Winter’s expression softened and he reached up to touch Fox’s cheek. “Thank you, but I don’t want to turn you into food just so I’m safe.”
A snort left Fox and he leaned down to bump his nose against Winter’s. “I won’t only be food. I’m also your sexy Fox who blows your mind in bed, right?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m your Fox who kicks your ass at video games.”
“Some of them.”
Fox rolled his eyes. “The good ones.”
“Whatever.” But it was a smiling whatever.
“I’m your snuggly Fox who helps you sleep. And I’m your brainstorming Fox. And your music-loving Fox.”
“You’re my Fox,” Winter said forcefully. His smile softened and Fox’s heart sped up in his chest. “You’re my everything, Fox.”
“Really?” he asked, forcing the single word out past the catch in his throat.
“You are. And whether or not I can drink your blood doesn’t change that fact.”
Fox kissed him softly over and over again.
He couldn’t speak. He was afraid he was going to say something that included the dreaded L-word, and it was way too soon for such things.
He was still getting used to all the praise he was receiving from Winter and believing it was true.
He’d never had this connection to someone.
Never enjoyed anyone’s company as much as he enjoyed Winter’s.
They seemed to fit together, and he didn’t want it to ever end.
“You’re my everything, too,” Fox whispered against Winter’s kiss-damp lips.
“I know we’ve only been trying this dating thing for barely more than a week—” Winter started slowly.
“And we’ve been fucking fantastic at it,” Fox added.
“But when life returns to something that looks more like normal, would you consider…not going back to Denver?”
Fox sat up and blinked at Winter in wonder.
It was something Winter had sort of hinted at when he’d caught Fox trying to find a spell to remove his powers, but they’d not discussed it again.
Fox had been happy to not go poking at it while everything was going so well.
“Seriously? You want me to stay? In Connecticut?”
“Preferably. It would make dating easier. You wouldn’t have to stay here with me. I’d help you find a new place…if that’s what you wanted.”
Fox’s grin grew even wider. He was getting very good at reading Winter’s grumbly tones, and it was quite obvious the vampire did not want him moving out of his loft at all.
“That is an interesting thought,” he agreed.
He settled down so that he was lying on Winter.
“I’ve never lived this far east, and the company is nice.
But apartment-hunting is such a pain in the ass. ”
Winter’s smile became a bit devilish. He hooked his hand behind Fox’s neck and started to pull him closer. “I wouldn’t want to cause you any pain. Why don’t you just stay here with me?”
“Live here with you? That would be convenient. It wouldn’t be trouble for you?” Fox asked coyly.
“No trouble at all.” Winter captured Fox’s mouth in a draining kiss that had him moaning into his mouth.
He shifted, rubbing his steadily hardening cock against Winter’s.
Living here and having access to all this sexiness whenever he wanted it?
To be around for all of Winter’s smiles and devilish moods.
To be there for him when he was feeling bleak and grumbly so he could pull him out of his dark moods. That was no hardship for Fox.
“I think we should celebrate. This is a big moment for our new dating status,” Fox said between kisses.
“Does this make you my boyfriend?”
“Yes, I think it does, my Big Sexy Boyfriend.”
Winter purred. He shifted, thrusting against Fox hard enough to make his eyes roll back into his head.
“Fuck, Winter.”
“Upstairs,” Winter bit out.
But upstairs sounded so damn far away. Fox kissed Winter again, biting his lower lip when an idea hit him. “I think there’s some coconut oil in the kitchen.”
“Works for me.”
Strong hands roamed down Fox’s body, stopping to squeeze and knead his ass.
They’d probably need to talk about this more when the blood was flowing to their brains again, but for now, he belonged to Winter.
The vampire wanted him to stay in Connecticut, stay in his home.
The same creature who had constantly been hounded by ghosts wanted to keep Fox close.
For a second, an ugly thought passed through his head. Was Winter doing this to keep the ghosts at bay?
Almost as if he could sense the direction of Fox’s thoughts, Winter growled “Mine,” and Fox could feel that possessive word wrap around his very soul.
He wanted to belong to Winter in the worst way.
He wanted to protect his man from all the horrible stories and dark reputation that haunted him worse than the damn ghosts.
He wanted to prove to his man night after night that he was good and deserving of love.
An alarm pierced the silence of the loft. Fox bolted upright while Winter groaned loudly.
“Oh, fuck me!” Fox shouted.
“I was trying to,” Winter grumbled. “Goddamn cockblockers.”
They were about to get a visit from Winter’s family again. Their fucking timing was the worst.
“We need to get up and find clothes.” Fox didn’t dare bend down to give Winter another kiss.
They likely had only two or three minutes before someone was knocking on the front door.
He climbed off of Winter and stood. His damn legs wobbled for a second, as if they rejected the idea of not being wrapped around his lover.
They’d just have to get used to that shit for at least a little while.
He picked up the bowl they’d used for the grapes and froze. “Shit!”
“What?” Winter immediately sat upright, looking as if he were ready to jump into battle despite being completely naked.
“Does it smell like sex in here?”
“What?”
“Winter! We’ve been fucking like rabbits for days and haven’t exactly aired the place out. Does it smell?”
Winter drew in a deep breath and held it before wrinkling his nose. Exhaling, he said, “I can’t tell. I just smell you.”
“Fuck!” Fox shoved at Winter, trying to get him to his feet. “Take the blanket and go. Get dressed. Bring me pants and a shirt. Deodorant or cologne. Something so I don’t smell like—”
“My sexy Fox?” Winter supplied as he stood.
“Go!” Fox shouted, trying hard not to smile. “I’ll see if you’ve got some Febreze or air freshener. Or just a damn candle.”